Once Upon a Holiday
by ourheroregina
Summary: Written for OQ on Holidays week. Roland almost drowns.
1. Chapter 1

Written for OQ on Holidays week Day 1.

Prompt: **42\. A week at the beach. Roland almost drowns.**

Regina Mills inhales deeply, letting fresh air fill her nostrils. God, she's missed the smell of water, the noise of waves hitting the ground. It seems that Henry missed it too, because he's inhaling as well, a content sigh escaping him soon after, a huge smile spreading across his face.

Regina smiles, too.

It's been a few years since the last time they've been here. Back then, their family consisted of three instead of two, and when that one member disappeared from their life, he took the joy of life with himself. It felt wrong to return to the places where they'd been together, it felt wrong to feel happiness again.

Both, Regina and Henry, spent lots of time licking their wounds until coming here didn't bring tears into their eyes anymore. And so, once Regina had gotten a free week, they packed their things and came here, to their favorite beach.

Sipping their milkshakes, Regina and Henry make their way to the bridge. It is a big one, painted in blue, the railings in red. It holds a special place in her heart – it was the place where Daniel proposed – and the memory has tears collecting in Regina's eyes.

There are many people on the bridge so they walk further and further until they find a place to stop and watch the sea. Henry puts his milkshake on the railing and grins, watching a small ship sailing in the horizon.

They chat about what they will do after returning from the beach, Henry telling Regina that he'd like to visit this museum of sea creatures half an hour away from their house. They make plans to visit some other museums in town as well, then to go somewhere to eat and then return to the beach to read for a bit and maybe to swim (Henry makes that suggested carefully).

Regina opens her mouth to protest, tell him that the water is too cool today for swimming and that they have the whole week ahead of them and can wait until the water is warmer to swim, but a scream cuts her off. It is a child screaming, and she hears it again, small voice full of panic.

She quickly turns around to look over the bridge, looking for the child who probably got lost until Henry shouts and points to the water.

In the middle of dark and dangerous waves Regina notices a small boy who's screaming, disappearing under the water and appearing again. Her mother instinct kicks in and she quickly throws her purse on the bridge. Then, she steps on the railing – she struggles with that a bit for it is rather high and Regina is not as fit as she used to be – and finally jumps into the cold water.

She screams as the cold water surrounds her, cannot help herself, and then pushes her wet hair away from her face, desperately looking for that child. He could've drown by now, but she catches a small hand peeking out of the water and quickly makes her way there, fighting her way through the waves.

She's not a good swimmer, damn it, she doesn't even know how to swim more than five meters but she forces her arms and legs move, ignores the fear gripping at her heart that tells her that not only she'll not save this child but also leave Henry an orphan.

The waves are pulling the child deeper into the sea and Regina tries to swim faster and faster, feeling herself getting tired more and more, but the child is fighting to stay afloat and she tells herself to keep going.

Finally, when her body is ready to give up on her, she catches a tiny hand of a screaming boy, and he keeps struggling until he sees that he's not alone anymore, and their eyes lock as Regina tugs on his hand. The wave tries to pull him away, covers them both in water but she holds him strong and the boy does the same and finally Regina manages to pull him closer to her chest.

He's crying and shaking, and she realizes that they're both drowning because he's out of energy and her strength is leaving her too, so she quickly turns around, not saying a single word to the scared child – speaking might help him to calm down but she's pretty sure it would use some of the strength she needs so much now – so she keeps moving her legs and free arm, the other wrapped tightly around the boy's chest, holding him close to her chest.

She notices a man swimming towards them in long, big strokes and soon he's pulling the child away from Regina into his arms. She sighs a bit in relief now that she doesn't have to hold a child and it becomes a bit easier to swim. When she realizes that the boy is safe, she sighs and all of a sudden feels heavier and heavier, her body finally giving up now that the child is saved, adrenaline leaving her.

The man, who, she realizes, is crying, kisses the child's face, but he has no struggle to stay on the surface it seems. Regina watches the scene, feeling her muscle tremble, her heart finally calming down, until she's slowly sinking, eyes closing.

"Wake up!" She feels a hand wrapped around her bicep, holding her tightly and there's a gentle slap across her face then and she opens her eyes alarmed. She realizes that she's still in the water and starts moving her legs and arms, and when the man is sure that she's not going to sink anymore, he lets go of her hand and lets her swim on her own.

When her feet finally reach the sand, Regina lets out a sigh of relief. She stands up on wobbly legs and tries to make her way to the beach, her whole body shivering from the exertion and cold water, her light summer dress now much heavier, drenched in cool water.

Before she's even fully out of the water, Henry runs to her and wraps his arms around her, almost making her lose her balance. She wraps her shaking arms around him too, and he's getting wet from her, and he'll get sick and she tries to tell him that but her lips are shivering too much to speak the words out loud.

The boy helps her reach the shore and as soon as she's out of the water, she falls down ungracefully. Her whole body is trembling, her eyelids heavy and she struggles to keep it open but the whimpering of the boy right beside her makes her force her eyes to stay open.

She turns her head to the side and finds the man who dragged her and the boy out of the water. He's holding the child in his arms, and the worry lines on his face make her realize that he's the careless father but perhaps it all was just an accident so instead of scolding the man, she forces a small smile to form on her face – everything ended happily.

All of a sudden the man pulls her into his arms, taking her by complete surprise. She gasps as a cold arm is wrapped around her and then his face is buried in her hair as he keeps thanking her, squeezing her in his arms as if his life is belonging from her.

She thinks it's true, in a way. After all, she's saved his child, no matter how poorly she did that.

The people, who have surrounded the beach to watch the scene, stand out of the way to let paramedics rush to them. They look at the child first, and the boy is blue and shaking but otherwise seems to be fine, yet it is still decided to take him to the hospital to make sure that it's only shook that he's suffered from.

When the man with the child in his arms are being walked to the ambulance, the paramedics turn to Regina but she just shakes her head and assures that she's fine and just needs to sleep it off. The specialists don't look too happy with her choice and tell her to come to the hospital if the shaking of her body doesn't stop once she's warm again.

As soon as the paramedics walk away, Henry throws himself into her arms again and starts crying and Regina quickly wraps her arms around him, whispering into his ear that it is over now and that she's fine, just a little bit cold.

The people who've gathered around help Regina on her feet and then Regina and Henry make their way to their house, Henry not letting go of her hand all the time as if afraid that she may still be taken away by the dangerous waves of the heartless sea.

(…)

"Do you really want to go there again?" Henry stops walking suddenly, making Regina turn around and look at him. They are walking to the bridge again because the last time they've been there they didn't really have enough time to enjoy the view.

Regina would be lying if she said that her stomach didn't turn at the thought of being surrounded by dark blue water all again (she wouldn't be surrounded by water literally, but she should would see is water, so it's almost the same, right).

So she smiles at Henry and states, "I would be happy to stay here, sit on these benches and gaze at the sea from here," she points to an empty bench, "But if you want to go on the bridge, we'll go."

"We're staying here," Henry says immediately and sits down on the bench, making Regina chuckle lightly.

She sits down beside her son and gazes at the sea, at the waves that never seemed as dangerous until she was surrounded by them. She was never a fan of lakes and seas and oceans and after what happened a few days ago she doubts she'll ever dip her toe into the water again.

Wrapping one arm around Henry, she brings the ice cream closer to her mouth with the other hand, watching the sea from afar. Henry seems content with staying here, to be honest he hasn't mentioned swimming again either, and Regina feels glad because even though her son is a teenager and quite a good swimmer, the idea of him in the water makes her skin crawl.

"Good evening."

A deep, masculine voice makes Regina blink her eyes and come back to reality. It takes her a few moments to catch a handsome man and a very beautiful boy making their way towards them from the beach.

Regina's heart starts beating faster in her chest – it is the same boy who was drowning the other day, the one she's saved.

She doesn't know what comes over her, but she stands up from the bench and makes her way towards the man, meeting them midway. She kneels in front of the boy and pulls him into a tight hug, making him gasp in surprise.

He's still a little child, only about five or six years old, and that day must have been so stressful to him but it seems that he recognizes her, or perhaps his father has told him that she's the woman who jumped into the water to catch him because he wraps his little arms around her neck and starts crying.

She feels tears filling her own eyes but she manages to stop them from falling. She holds the boy in her arms, rubbing his back in soothing circles, whispering that it's all right into his ear. She'll hold him as long as he needs, she decides.

When he finally lightens his hold around her neck, Regina releases him and pulls away. She swipes her thumbs over his cheeks, catching a few tears and wiping them away. She smiles to the boy then and stands up.

Once she's on her feet again, she's pulled into another hug, this time arms that wrapped around her are stronger and larger, and the voice that whisper into her ear thank you's is thick with emotion.

"We were looking for you," the man finally says when they've have pulled away and he's shaken Henry's hand. "We didn't even get a chance to thank you. Both, Roland and I, are very grateful for what you did that day. If you hadn't jumped into the water, he would have-" the man trails off and swallows hard, his hand tightening around the boy's.

"I did what every human would do," Regina tells them, smiling. She notices that the boy is not crying anymore, he's looking shyly at her and Henry now, his dark brown eyes wide. "I'm glad you're feeling aright, Roland?" she says, making his name sound as a question for she's not certain she got it right.

"Oh, I'm sorry I forgot to introduce us," the man apologizes quickly. "I'm Robin, and this little survivor is Roland."

"Nice to meet you, Roland, Robin," Regina replies with a smile. "I'm Regina, and this is my son Henry."

"Nice you meet you too," Robin returns. A small uncertain smile spreads across his face making dimples appear in his cheeks and Regina has to stop herself from grinning – she's always had a weak spot for dimples. The man clears his throat and tells them, "We would like to take you two to dinner as a thank you, if that's okay with you and you don't have any plans."

Surprised, Regina looks down at Henry who's grinning at her. They've had plans to visit some of the museums they've never had a chance to visit but they still have a few days left, and it doesn't seem that Henry minds the delay of their plans.

Regina nods her head, smiles and says, "We would love to."

"Wonderful," Robin smiles at her and looks to Roland who's smiling too now, and when Regina notices the dimples in his cute little cheeks, her smile grows wider.

Smiling, all four of them make their way to the main street, parents making small talk while children are walking in silence.

When they are sitting in the diner, waiting for their orders and Robin excuses himself and Roland and go to the bathroom, Henry winks at Regina and says, "See, it wasn't such an awful idea to come here again."

For a moment Regina looks at him until a huge smile spreads across her face and she takes her milkshake from the table and nods her head, taking a sip and humming at the wonderful taste. Her gaze lock with Henry's and she rolls her eyes at the hidden hint.

He takes his own milkshake and drinks it, his smile only widening when Robin returns and starts chatting with his mom.

It turns out it was, actually, a very good idea to come here.


	2. Chapter 2

**Written for OQ on Holidays Week, Day3. Prompt number 32. Family day at the beach.**

 **(...)**

A huge smile spreads across Regina's face when her feet touch the warm sand for the first time this summer. Her eyes flutter closed as she inhales deeply through her nose, the scent of beach and sea attacking her senses.

She's missed it.

It's been two years since she's been here. Last year Robin offered to take her and Henry on holidays to his favorite lake not too far away from his home, and Regina agreed, thrilled by the idea of spending their first holidays together.

They've spent the week there in tents which turned out to be a disaster. Regina is never ever going to a camping trip again.

During the time there, she noticed how uncomfortable water made Roland feel. The lake wasn't that deep or huge, but the boy still refused to take a step closer to the water. Regina realized that the reason to come to this lake instead of their favorite beach in the world was wise on Robin's part. She couldn't imagine how Roland would have felt on the same beach where he almost drowned.

So this summer, Robin insisted that Regina and Henry go to their beach together. Henry didn't seem to mind, he had admitted that he really missed that place, so Regina agreed, feeling like something's been missing inside her.

Now they're standing in front of the sea, watching huge waves hit the shore with loud noises, and Regina realizes that she's at peace again. She doesn't understand what it is about this place that always brings her a scene of blessing.

It's an indescribable feeling.

Henry feels the same about this place, so when she turns to look at him she expects to see a blissful expression on his handsome face. However, he's frowning, no trace of happiness. The look on his face is full of disappointment as he stares at the huge waves, knowing full well that he'll not be able to swim today.

Regina only laughs at his expression and wraps her arm around him, pulling him closer to herself.

They take a walk across the beach, watching as a few courageous dare to enter the water only to be chased by lifeguards and kicked out of the sea. The squeals of children, the laughs of people make Regina smile, make her feel light and free.

They walk and walk, talking about their plans of what they should do during their week here until the bridge appears in the horizon. Henry looks pointedly at Regina, and she knows what he means. They've never really got a chance to enjoy it for after what happened _that_ time Henry felt uncomfortable to be there, and so did Regina.

But it is in the past now, and they only grin to each other before making their way towards the huge blue bridge with red railing.

When they finally reach their destination, both of them are a little bit breathless. Walking such long distances across the sand can be very tiring, the muscles of their legs are begging for relief. Wordlessly, they make their way to the wooden bench near the bridge and sit down.

A sigh of contentment escapes Regina's lips as her aching muscles finally get the rest. She leans against the backrest and sighs again, this time caught by the mesmerizing sight of the dark blue sea. Henry rests his head against her shoulder, sighing too, his eyes never leaving the view in front of him.

Regina has no idea how long they spend sitting there on the bench, watching people come and go on the bridge, watching waves hitting the shore. She's pretty sure they'd have spent another hour here if not the surprise that startles both Regina and Henry.

All of a sudden, warm palms cover Regina's eyes, making her whole body tense at the unexpected touch. She gasps in shock, and Henry has already pulled away from her and she hears his quiet chuckle which makes her relax a bit, but frown in confusion.

"Surprise," is whispering right into her ear in that husky voice that makes hairs of her body stand on their ends and her cheeks flush red. Once the palms are lifted off of her eyes, she turns her head to the side and looks over her shoulder.

"Robin?!" she exclaims, her mouth dropping open in both surprise and shock. He grins at her, and Regina quickly stands up from the bench and walks around it to wrap her arms around him in a hug.

She's speechless for a moment.

A smile spreads across her face when she pulls away, taking him in. He's dressed in jeans and the blue t-shirt which Regina's bought him a few weeks ago, and he definitely smells like forest. He looks so handsome.

Robin presses a quick kiss onto her lips and then his arms are unwrapped from around her and he's letting her take a step away from him.

"Surprise!" another voice shouts as soon as she's released from Robin's embrace and Regina looks to the source of it. Roland is standing beside his father, dressed in the pair of blue shorts and his favorite blue t-shirt – father and son have matched their outfits, and Regina finds it incredibly cute,- his dark brown eyes shining with excitement and joy, the dimples deep in his cheeks from the way he's smiling at her.

"Roland!" Regina quickly stretches her arms out and the boy rushes to her immediately, squealing when she lifts him up and spins him around. She kisses his cute chubby cheeks, making him giggle. "What are you guys doing here?" she asks, her voice still full of surprise.

"Roland really missed you two," Robin says and Regina gives him a pointed look because she's pretty sure it's not true – they've seen each other yesterday _and_ they usually spend the whole week apart since they live in different cities. However, Robin ignores Regina's look and continues, "So, after a short discussion we decided to come and spent the holiday with you, if you're okay with that."

This time Regina glances at Henry who's only shaken Robin's hand in greeting but otherwise stayed quiet. It was supposed to be their time, and she knows how much things have changed since Robin and Roland came into their lives. Henry seemed to get along with everything quite nicely, but sometimes Regina still feels unsure if he's actually happy.

It is one of those times.

"We have already booked a room in the hotel so we don't have to stay together," Robin rushes to say, this time turning away from Regina and looking to Henry. "We could only meet for dinner or lunch or whatever, if you two preferred to spend your holiday alone."

"Of course not," Henry finally says, and Regina hopes that he's not lying.

Her son is a good boy, he really is, and she's pretty sure that he would sacrifice his own fun only to make sure that Regina is happy. So she puts Roland on the ground and looks at Henry but he only grins at her, making her heart beat a little bit easier.

"Alright then," Robin nods his head. "I think we should celebrate that with milkshakes, what do you think?"

Roland squeals in excitement, and when the four of them have decided what flavor they would like, Robin and Henry make their way to the main street to buy drinks while Regina and Roland stay on the bench to watch the sea.

The boy cuddles into Regina's side as soon as she wraps her arm around him, his head resting over her heart. Regina feels a lump forming in her throat as she tries to imagine what is going on in the boy's head.

Is he remembering how he almost drowned?

Is he still terrified by the water?

Does he want to run away from here?

"Daddy told me that water cannot hurt me if I stay on the shore," Roland says quietly as if he could read Regina's mind.

Her breath gets caught in her throat as her whole body tenses. Trying to breathe through the uncomfortable lump in her throat, Regina rubs soothingly over Roland's back, giving him comfort and time for herself to put her emotions under control.

When the lump disappears from her throat, Regina tells him, "Your dad is right. Nothing can hurt you when you're on the shore. You can dip your toes into the water and have fun but still be safe."

Roland hums against her chest in response but doesn't say anything else and Regina feels herself relaxing a bit. He doesn't seem as frightened by the sea as he was the last time. These therapy sessions must be really helping, Regina thinks.

A small smile spreads across her face in relief then and her eyes flutter closed. She lets her head fall down, letting the sunshine fall over her face. Perhaps things will be just fine.

"Regina?" Roland asks suddenly, lifting his head off of her chest and pulling away from her. When their eyes meet, he looks down shyly and whispers, "Would you like to go to the water with me?"

Regina's eyes widen in shock at his request and she opens her mouth but nothing comes out. Her eyes fill with tears immediately as she realizes how much trust Roland must have in her if he's asking her to do this with him.

"Are you sure?" she asks, trying to make her voice sounds steady.

"We would only dip our toes," he explains quickly. He looks a bit frightened by the whole idea, but his gaze is full of determination.

Regina has to fight the urge to hug Roland tightly and never let go. She's so proud of him – simply coming here, to this beach was already a huge accomplishment and now he wants to try and be near the water again.

Instead of hugging him and making a fuss over his request, Regina nods her head. Inhaling, she stands up from the bench, stretching her hand out for Roland. The boy takes it without hesitation and gets up as well.

They make their way to the water slowly, neither saying a word. Roland's little hand only tightens around Regina's as they near the waves, and she squeezes back, letting him know that she's with him in every step.

Her heart is swelling with pride with every small step across the beach. She knows how much courage it takes him to be here, to walk to the shore – she's a drowning victim herself, and those first times back at the beach were extremely hard.

She ran away the first time, crying and screaming.

Roland, however, is showing so much inner strength, proving to her that he's much stronger than her as he walks towards the water that almost took his life.

"I'll not let go of your hand," Regina assures him when only a few steps are separating them and the water.

The wind is higher here, and Regina has to push her hair off of her face as she looks down at Roland. When their eyes meet, the boy is looking at her anxiously, and she's about to ask if he's changed his mind, but then he nods his head and turns back to the waves, the look of determination returning to his face.

"Whenever you're ready," Regina tells him and squeezes his hand again in encouragement.

She can feel how his body trembles when Roland inhales deeply, shakily. For a few minutes they watch the waves, and Regina feels herself relaxing a bit, cool wind blowing the end of her dress, making her hair stick to her face, but a smile appears on her face nonetheless.

She looks at Roland and realizes that he's deep in thoughts, the boy who's only seven years old fighting a war within himself.

Regina doesn't push him, doesn't even try to talk to him. She simply holds his little hand and watches the sea, waits for him to be ready.

Finally, Roland nods his head (more to himself than to Regina) and looks up to her. Regina understands what he means and smiles at him, takes the first step towards the water to encourage the boy.

Roland follows.

They take another small step and one more, and the little hand only tightens around Regina's. She's about to ask if he wants to stop when all of a sudden a huge wave hits the shore and cold water washes over their feet.

Roland squeals in both shock and surprise, and maybe even fear, and runs back to the sand, dragging Regina after himself.

His breathing is labored, his mouth opened wide as he gasps for air. Regina's own breathing is quick and anxious, and she tries to figure out if she should hug the boy or let him deal with his fears all on his own. However, before she can decide what to do, a small unsure smile spreads across Roland's face.

"Are you okay?" Regina finally asks, and when Roland turns to look at her, he doesn't look terrified anymore. He's scared, his eyes are shining with unshed tears but he's breathing a bit easier and he's smiling at her.

"Can we try again?" he asks quietly, his voice shaking a bit and Regina nods her head, squeezes his hand in hers again, reminding him that she's not going to let go.

The boy inhales deeply again and takes a step closer to the sea until slowly they're in the area that only their toes are in the water. Another wave hits the shore and Roland squeals again but this time he doesn't run back to the sand, he continues to stand still and watch the waves, his mouth opened while he waits for another wave to wash over their toes.

Regina's eyes get itchy from tears she's trying to keep at bay, but she doesn't let herself cry, not when she sees another wave coming their way. Roland squeezes her hand tighter as he waits for the wave to come and when it hits the shore, he squeals again, the sound full of excitement.

This time, Regina cannot help it but let a few tears fall down her cheeks. She's thought Roland would never be able to enjoy water again, yet here he is, standing in water with the woman who saved him, finding the joy of life again.

"Am I hallucinating?"

She looks over her shoulder when Robin's voice reaches her ears. Henry and Robin are standing behind them on the sand, both of them holding milkshakes in their hands. Henry is smiling at the view in front of him while Robin looks at Roland and Regina with tears in his eyes.

She smiles a bit, her own eyes still full of tears when Roland turns around and jumps up, grinning at his father. "You were right, daddy! Waves cannot hurt me when I'm on the shore!" He says excitedly and turns back to the water, giggling when another wave hits the shore, this one stronger, the water splashing over his blue shorts and wetting the ends of Regina's dress.

Still shocked, Robin puts the milkshakes on the sand and walks to the water pulling Roland into his arms without a warning. The boy squeals in surprise, but then he kicks his legs a bit, trying to get away from Robin's hold as he kisses his son's cheeks.

Once the boy's feet hit the ground, he lets a shout full of happiness and runs across the beach away from Robin. Robin only laughs at his son and turns to look at Regina, his eyes full of mixed emotions. Regina gives him a watery smile as he quickly pecks her lips, tells her that he loves her, and then he runs after Roland.

The smile on her face only widens.

Regina then turns to Henry and smiles at him, the teenager giving her a smile in return. She bends over and takes two milkshakes from the sand, taking a sip of each of them until she decides which one she likes more. She tries to hold both of the milkshakes with one hand as she wraps her free arm around Henry's shoulders.

"Are you really okay with all of this?" Regina asks quietly, for a moment forgetting the pride she feels because of Roland. "We were supposed to spend this time alone and I know how much it means to you. It means the world to me, too, and if you didn't want Robin and Roland with us, I would be okay with that."

Henry looks at Regina seriously before saying, "I love you, mom. Seeing how happy Robin makes you is the best thing that could ever happen to me. So I don't mind their company," Henry assures her. "Also, I'll finally be able to play badminton on the beach because Robin is not as lazy as you." He adds with a smirk on his face.

Regina rolls her eyes at Henry before pressing a quick kiss to his hair, a smile appearing on her face.

"I love you, Henry."

"I love you too, mom," he returns, his smile eating up his whole face.

They make their way across the beach wrapped in each other's arms, both laughing as they watch Robin chasing after Roland, carefree and happy.


	3. Chapter 3

**Written for OQ on Holidays, Day5. Prompt number 41. Robin and Regina take their whole family on holidays. Henry meets a girl he has a huge crush on, and Robin has to help Regina deal with her mama bear feelings and let her son enjoy this summer love.**

When Robin and Roland return to the beach house, it's awfully quiet. It makes Robin frown – when they left the house, Regina and Henry were in the middle of a fight, and he expected that they would have made-up by now but the quietness tell another story.

Telling Roland to run into his room and play for a bit, Robin steps further into the house, looking for Regina or Henry. The door of Henry's room is closed and when he presses his ear against it, he hears Henry talking to someone, complaining that Regina is overreacting.

Robin agrees. She's clearly overreacting.

Leaving Henry alone, he makes his way into the living room which is also empty. However, he hears a sound of a bowl being put down (with such force) in the kitchen. Regina is there and she is still mad.

When Robin walks into the kitchen, he finds Regina preparing dinner. Her face is red, her eyes teary as she angrily pours noodles into the boiling water.

He leans against the fridge and watches her for a few minutes. She doesn't seem to notice him as she keeps murmuring something under her nose so quiet that Robin doesn't hear her.

However, when she makes her way to the fridge, she gasps in surprise.

"Robin!" she exclaims, a hand falling over her now rapidly beating heart. "I didn't hear when you came back."

"You were too busy in your anger to notice anything around you, love," he says, taking a step away from the fridge.

Regina glares at him at his choice of words and opens the fridge, anger visible in every move she makes. Robin sighs as he watches her take out tomatoes and cucumbers.

"I think you're overreacting," Robin finally says when the vegetables are placed on the cutting board.

Regina turns to look at him over her shoulder, and if looks could kill he would definitely be dead. Robin cannot help but laugh at her, making Regina furrow her brow.

"You think it's funny?" she asks, raising her voice. She shakes her head at him and takes a knife, starts peeling the cucumber. "Well, I will laugh at you when Roland has a secret girlfriend you have no idea about and you are freaking out about it." She then chops the vegetable in her hands with such force, accidentally cutting her fingers.

She hisses and Robin gets up from the chair immediately, walks up to her and takes the knife out of her hand, places it on the counter. Her finger is bleeding, but not much, and he quickly lifts the tap and tugs on her hand until the blood is being washed off by the cool water. He grabs the paper towel then and wraps a piece of it around her finger.

When he finally looks away from her finger to her face, she's looking back at him with glassy eyes. Robin cannot help but wrap his arms around her and pull her to his chest. Surprisingly, she doesn't protest, goes willingly, rests her head against his shoulder.

"Why wouldn't he tell me, Robin?" she asks, her voice muffled by his shoulder.

Robin sighs. "I think Henry was afraid of what would happen if he did." He feels Regina tense in his arms and then she pulls away from him to look into his eyes.

"I'm not that bad," she defends herself. "I'm not a perfect mother, but I thought we trusted each other, I thought he knew he could tell me everything."

"And look what happened when you found out about this girl," he points out and Regina narrows her eyes at him, shaking his arms off of her and taking a step back.

"He was lying!" Regina exclaims, her eyes turning wide from anger again. "He told us he was going to write on the beach for a whole month while he was there with this girl."

"Henry knew that you wouldn't let him go to see this girl." Robin tells her, and Regina's eyes widen even more when she realizes that Robin knew about this. Before she has a chance to start calling him names, and Robin is sure she has a few nasty names for him now, he says, "Henry is not a little boy anymore, Regina. I know you love him and he loves you, but you have to let him go and live his life if you don't want him to run away."

Regina stares at him shaking her head in disbelief, "You knew, and you didn't tell me!"

"I did know," Robin nods. There's no reason to hide it anymore. "Henry and I both knew you would freak about it, and Henry didn't want to ruin holidays for all of us. He asked me not to tell you, so I didn't."

When Robin stretches his hand out to touch Regina, she takes a step back.

"He shouldn't have lied to you, I agree," Robin adds, "But have you always told your mother where and what you were doing when you were sixteen?" he asks, raising an eyebrow in challenge.

"I was engaged by then to an old man who could be my father," she spats out, her face turning red from her emotions at the memory of what her life used to be when she had a controlling mother who didn't listen to Regina's wishes at all.

Shit. Robin is not making this better. Not at all.

"I'm sorry," he apologizes immediately for hitting a nerve, and Regina sighs, waving off his apology, and turns back to the vegetables. "Well, then let me tell you what I was doing when I was his age. I was stealing, drinking, sneaking out of my house to meet with girls and trust me, we were not only kissing," he tells her and Regina rolls her eyes.

"Things are different now," she says.

Sighing, Robin says, "What I want to tell you is that Henry is a good boy and he loves you and trusts you. He did one mistake because he knew you weren't ready for that. And it wasn't like he was doing all of this behind our backs, I knew that it was happening." Regina seems to finally cool off, so Robin adds, "Don't let this thing ruin our holidays and your relationship with him. He's young and he's in love with this girl, and in three weeks we'll be back in Storybrooke and this Violet will be on another side of the country. It's a beautiful summer love, let him have that, because the more you try to keep him to yourself, the harder it will get. I'm sure you know that."

Regina stares at Robin, and her eyes are glassy again, but she's nodding her head.

"He's grown up so fast," she manages to say in a shaky voice and Robin pulls her into his arms, holds her there and she finally finds peace within herself again.

"I know, Regina, but it's alright," he whispers into her hair and kisses her neck.

When she finally pulls away from him and he wipes a stray tear away from her cheeks, Robin tells her, "Go, and talk to Henry. Have a civilized conversation. Make things right while I try to finish dinner."

Regina nods her head, "Thank you, Robin. I love you," she pecks his lips before making her way out of the kitchen to Henry's room.

Robin sighs and turns to the stove. He looks at the noodles in the water, at a recipe on the counter and frowns – he hopes he will not burn this house down.

(…)

Half an hour later, Henry and Regina emerge from his room and come to the kitchen, and Robin turns away from the bowl of chopped vegetables to look at them. Regina's eyes are red from crying, but she's smiling a small unsure smile.

She asks Henry to please come back for dinner and her son nods his head, kisses her cheek, winks at Robin with a relieved expression on his face and walks out of the kitchen and then out of the house.

Robin looks at Regina, arching a brow at her in surprise, and she just presses her lips into a thin line and shakes her head. Then she walks to make herself a cup of coffee, and Robin cannot help but walk up to her and wrap his arms around her middle from behind.

Regina sighs and relaxes in his arms, and then asks quietly, "He'll be fine, right? I made a right decision."

Robin feels pride in his chest as he smiles and kisses her cheek. He knows how hard it is for her and despite a few ups and downs, she's doing just great.

"Of course he will," he assures her before turning Regina around and kissing her on the lips. "We all will be fine."


	4. Chapter 4

**Written for OQ on Holidays Week Day 6. Prompt number** **26\. Regina teaches Roland how to swim**

A huge smile spreads across Regina's face as she makes her way towards her favorite beach, the sight of the calm sea making her heart flutter in excitement.

The weather is perfect today – no wind, the sun is high in the clear sky, the sea is calm, the waves small and not dangerous. The yellow flag is waving near the lifeguards' headquarters, announcing that it is safe to go into the sea.

Regina doesn't have to look at Henry to know that he's grinning from ear to ear as he makes his way to the sea. The last time they've been here, the wind was huge and the water was cold, so he had to stay on the shore instead of diving into the waves like he's dreamt of.

This time, however, the weather is good for swimming, so as soon as they got here, they made their way straight to the beach. Their bags are still in Robin's car and they still haven't taken the keys from the owner of the beach house that they've rented.

Henry and Robin are walking impatiently in front of Regina and Roland, both engaged in the conversation about their favorite swimming techniques. It was a surprise to find out that Robin loves swimming as much as Henry does, and deep down Regina felt extremely happy that Henry now has someone to share his love for swimming.

Regina and Roland, however, are not fans of swimming, so they don't rush. They make their way in small steps, inhaling deeply the scent of sea, enjoying the way the sunshine warms their skin. They make a small chat about the ice creams they're going to buy once they've put their things into the house and eaten dinner, but otherwise they're quiet.

When they finally find the right place to settle, Henry spreads the sheet on the sand while Robin opens a huge umbrella and sticks its handle into the sand. They put their bags on the sand and then Regina sits down on the sheet, opens her bag and takes out the sunscreen.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Regina asks once she finishes applying sunscreen on Roland's back.

The boy turns to face her and he looks a little bit hesitant before he nods his head firmly.

"The sea is calm today," Roland states, glancing over his shoulder to look at the kids who are playing in the water. "And I won't be alone there, so the waves cannot take me away again," He adds, making Regina swallow hard as the memory of a drowning Roland plays in the back of her head.

"Alright," she says and quickly pecks the boy's dimpled cheeks.

Regina gets up from the blanket then and pours sunscreen on her palms, rubs it all over Henry's back. She swallows hard when she has to lift her arms up in order to reach his shoulders, and so when Henry turns around after the cream is applied, Regina wraps her arms around him tightly.

"Mom?" Henry asks, confused.

Regina clears her throat before forcing herself to let go of Henry. She blinks her eyes repeatedly until the tears disappear, and then she smiles warmly at her not so little prince anymore, telling him, "Be safe. I love you."

She cannot help herself but pull him into another quick hug and then kiss his cheek. She knows that the time when he'll feel uncomfortable with her hugging him and kissing him in public will come soon, too soon, and her heart breaks just a little bit more every time she thinks about it.

Perhaps it is the last summer that he wants to spend with her on this beach.

Regina has to bite her lip and swallow hard over the lump in her throat as she watches her son take Roland's hand in his and then the two of them run towards the beach. The tears are clouding her vision, but she tries to keep them at bay, tries to remind herself that no matter how old Henry is, he'll always want to come here with Regina, to _their_ place.

Sighing, she wipes away a stray tear and turns back to look at Robin. To her surprise, he has already taken off his clothes and now is standing in front of her dressed only in a pair of swim trucks.

All of a sudden, all tears disappear from her eyes as she swallows hard for a whole different reason. Unconsciously, she licks her lips and lets her eyes roam over his perfectly toned chest and muscular arms that promise the sense of security.

Robin's chuckle snaps her out of her trance. Regina feels her cheeks flushing red as she quickly looks away, and Robin's chuckle turns into a full laugh. She's stared at his glorious body without a flicker of shame in the bedroom, but staring at him in that way seems way too inappropriate in a public beach with their children not too far away.

She quickly clears her throat and turns away from him, lifting her dress up and over her head until it lands on the sheet. Regina can hear how Robin's breath hitches in his throat when she reveals her new swimsuit to him – it's nothing sexy, after all it's a family trip; it's a simple two piece black swimsuit but it seems that Robin likes it nonetheless.

This time it is Regina who's chuckling when she turns around to face him. Before Robin can comment on her new swimsuit, Regina pours a bit of sunscreen on her palms and tells him to turn around. He looks like a kicked puppy when his eyes finally leave her body and he turns around away from her.

Regina chuckles again – she's still taken aback by his playful side every time.

Once she's rubbed the sunscreen onto his back and shoulders, she turns around, waiting for Robin to do the same to her.

When Robin's warm palms start rubbing her back, he leans over and whispers straight into her ear, "I think we need to come here alone sometime. Just you, me and the water."

Goose-bumps appear on Regina's skin at his words and she finds herself swallowing hard. She wouldn't mind that, not at all. Actually, the image of that is already playing in her head.

Quickly Regina shakes her head to herself as if shaking the thought out of her mind. The children are just a few feet away, she reminds herself and tries to push away all of her very inappropriate fantasies.

"That would be nice," she tells him, though, and Robin grins at her before leaning over and pecking her lips.

When they part, they link their hands together and make their way to the boys. Roland is standing with only his toes in the water, jumping when the small waves wash over the shore while Henry has gone in a little bit deeper, getting used to the obviously cold water.

Regina narrows her eyes a bit, but doesn't say anything, knows it is useless to stop him from running into the water now.

"Are you sure you two will be fine here?" Robin asks when he releases Regina's hand and kneels in front of Roland.

Their plan is for Henry and Robin to go deeper into the water to swim while Regina and Roland stay on the shore, enjoying the waves and building sand castles. All of them agreed to this plan – Regina wasn't much of a swimmer and she always preferred to stay on the shore, Henry always dreamt about having a swimming buddy, and Robin didn't seem to mind leaving Roland with Regina while he dived into the water with Henry.

Roland nods enthusiastically, and Regina notes that this time he feels much better around the water when the last one.

Regina takes the boy's hand in hers, grins at him and tells Robin, "Of course we'll be fine."

He looks at Regina, then at Roland, and after making sure his son is not scared, he finally sighs and turns to a grinning Henry, a huge smile appearing on his own face.

Regina honestly cannot remember the last time she's seen her son so excited, and her heart flutters with love for Robin – he's not only an amazing lover, but he's been so good to Henry, they've managed to form a really strong bond that warms Regina's heart every time.

She manages to tell them to be safe and send air kisses before Robin and Henry dive into the water, both of them groaning when the cold sea surrounds them. They splash water over each other like two children, making Regina grin from the shore.

For a moment, Roland and Regina stay still and watch Henry and Robin in the waves laughing easily.

It is a beautiful day, and Regina lets her eyes roam over the sea and to the horizon where blue sea and blue sky becomes one.

She exhales in relief, feeling that blissful feeling again.

"Are you ready?" Roland's question snaps her out of her thoughts.

She blinks her eyes a few times before turning down to look at him. The boy is looking straight into her eyes, his eyes shining from impatience. Regina cannot help but chuckle as she tells him that she's definitely ready.

It seems that it's all the encouragement Roland needs because then he's stepping further into the water. Regina follows him, hissing when the water touches her ankles, but the smile is never leaving her face. She hasn't even realized how much she's missed this until now.

For a while, they stand in the calm sea, Roland splashing the water with his feet, Regina gazing to the horizon, felling the waves calm her down again and again. However, all of a sudden a stronger wave comes their way and this time the water reaches Roland's knees.

Regina looks down at him immediately, worried that he was not ready for that. After all, last year Roland only dipped in his toes, and Regina expects to see the boy uncomfortable by the sudden wave or even scared but when he turns at her, he's smiling widely.

When their eyes meet, he asks, "Can we go a little bit further?"

A lump forms in Regina's throat but she forces herself to keep the smile and nod her head. Just last year he was so unsure when he had to step into the water, this morning in the car he still seemed scared by the idea of being surrounded by water and now he's standing in it, no trace of fear, only excitement in his big brown eyes.

She makes a mental note to send Archie a 'thank you' card for his wonderful job, for helping Roland overcome that awful trauma.

They walk further and further into the sea until the water reaches Roland's belly. Regina's surprised, but doesn't say anything, only gauges his every reaction in case he starts to feel uncomfortable. However, she finds him staring at Robin and Henry who are swimming around, both still laughing.

"I wish I could swim," Roland tells her quietly, his excited voice turning into a quieter one.

"I'm sure that you will learn to swim one day," Regina says, squeezing his little hand. "It took me years to finally step into the water without fear after drowning, and it took me even longer to learn how to swim. It's harder for us than it is for your dad and Henry."

Roland hums in response and continues to stare at the sea where other people are swimming as well. Regina's heart breaks for this wonderful boy, and she holds his little hand just a little bit tighter.

"Can you teach me how to swim?" Roland asks suddenly.

Regina's mouth drops open, her eyes growing wide at the request. She tries to breathe through the sudden lump in her throat and bites her lip, trying to stop her tears at bay at the realization of how much trust Roland must have in her to ask her for this.

"Are you sure?" She tries to stop her voice from shaking, but fails.

"Yes, I want to try. I know you'll not let me drown. You saved me once." He tells her, and Regina feels another wave of emotions wash over her, but she presses her lips tightly, not wanting to cry in front of the boy.

"Okay," she says when she's able to speak again.

She takes in a steadying breath in order to calm her nerves and shaking hands, then exhales, and inhales one more time. Roland does the same, preparing himself for something that still obviously scares him but he seems determined to overcome this fear.

"Swimming is not easy, but it is not that hard either." Regina starts, taking another deep breath. "You have to move your arms like this," she lets go of his little hand and shows him the moves. When he tries it out, moving his hands under the water just like Regina's showed him, she nods her head in encouragement. "And you know how to move your legs," she tells him with a wink when she remembers how last year he splashed the water laying on the shore.

He grins at her, dimples appearing in his cheeks, and tells her that he knows how to do that.

"Okay," she says more to herself than to Roland. "I promise to hold you tight until you want me to let go."

The boy nods his head again and they rearrange their positions until he leans over and stretches his arms in front of himself, his legs rising in the water as soon as Regina tucks her palm under his tummy. The first few seconds are uncomfortable and Regina is about to tell him that perhaps they should wait for Robin to help them but then Roland starts moving his legs quicker, his arms stretching and moving, and he starts swimming.

Regina praises him despite the tears clouding her vision, tears of pride, of course, and after a few times of trying Roland asks her to let go. She does so, unwillingly but does as he's asked, though she stays close in case he'll start sinking. Surprisingly, he doesn't, he swims, moves his legs and arms a little bit furiously, irregularly, but he's still moving forward and not sinking.

For his first time, Regina thinks he's doing wonderfully.

Somewhere in the back of her head she thinks that Roland was born to be a swimmer, and if not the unfortunate trauma, he would be attending swimming classes and enjoying the water the way that Henry does.

"Take a break," she tells him after a while and Roland stands on his feet again, but before Regina can say something else, he's bending over and trying to swim again.

All of a sudden, his face breaks into a grin and when Regina follows his gaze, she finds Robin staring at them with his mouth opened in both shock and surprise. Regina smiles at him, even though he's not looking at her.

"Dad, look!" Roland exclaims while swimming. However, at the same time a small wave washes over him and water gets into his opened mouth.

He starts coughing immediately, his little arms and legs giving out. He starts to sink but Regina quickly grabs him, steadies him until he's standing on his own, still trying to get the water out of his mouth. It's just a bit of water, Regina wants to tell him, but before she can do so, he opens his mouth and starts sobbing.

Regina's heart breaks.

Robin makes his way towards them instantly with Henry trailing behind him while Regina picks Roland up from the water, pulling him into her chest, telling him that it's fine, that he's safe.

It doesn't seem to work, though, the boy only cries harder and harder, shaking in her arms, and Regina's own eyes fill with tears as she tries to assure him that nothing will happen to him.

Robin reaches them in record time and as soon as he's near Roland pulls away from Regina and stretches his arms out for his father. It makes Regina's heart break even more as she releases the boy and Robin takes him into his arms, shushes him, but the boy keeps crying and crying.

They make their way back to the shore and to their blanket while Regina continues to stand in the water, unable to move. A few tears fall down her own cheeks, and she hopes to God that she hasn't broken Roland's trust.

Damn it, she should've waited for Robin.

She should've known that something bad was bound to happen.

"Are you okay, mom?" Henry's question startles her and she quickly turns around to face him, wiping the tears away from her cheeks. The teenager sighs and wraps his wet and cold arm around Regina, his head coming to rest on her shoulder in comfort.

It only makes her cry harder.

"Let's go to the shore," Regina manages to say, and Henry nods his head, no questions asked.

When they reach their blanket, Robin is sitting on it with a still crying Roland in his arms. The boy is now wrapped in a spider man towel, but his little body is still shaking from his cries, the panic attack still torturing his tiny body, and it makes Regina curse herself even more.

She's so stupid.

"Robin, I'm so sorry," she starts nervously, standing in front of him with her head bowed down. "I shouldn't have let him swim but he seemed fine and –" she trails off, a tear rolling down her cheek. "I'm sorry, I just… I never meant to hurt him."

Robin looks up at her, his gaze softening. He stretches his hand out and takes her shaking one and squeezes it until Regina looks up at him, meets his eyes.

"It is all right," he tells her quietly, yet firmly. He kisses on top of Roland's head and continues, "You saved him once, Regina, and you're the only one he trusts enough to be in the water with. He left comfortable in your presence, he wanted to try to swim. And he did. But it was his first time. I'm sure there will be more time like this until he actually learns to swim and overcome his fears."

"Still, I shouldn't have let him go so deep, I-"

"Haven't you had some bad experience after your drowning?" Robin asks, and it gets Roland attention because his sobs turn quieter as if he's trying to listen.

"Well, of course I had some bad experience," she sighs. She ran away from the beach the first time, she was so afraid, she threw up the other time, and it took her so long to try and swim again, she had to fight through so many panic attacks. And yes, she had ever more bad experiences after that.

But she overcame it all. She's able to swim now (she prefers not to, though), is able to enjoy the water and the dread feeling is gone, but it took her years to be in this place.

"What I'm trying to say is that it is not your fault," Robin assures her, "And Roland knows that too. It was an accident. But everyone is safe. No one is hurt. That's the most important thing."

Finally Roland pulls away from Robin and rubs his teary eyes with tiny fists, then wipes his running nose with the back of his hand and looks at Regina.

"It was an accident," he tells her in a quiet voice. "And you saved me, again."

Regina starts crying again after his words. She quickly sits down on the now wet blanket and pulls Roland into a tight hug. The boy wraps his arms around her tightly and starts crying again, and Regina only tightens her hold around him.

It takes a while for them to calm down but when they finally do, Regina apologizes for breaking down. Robin smiles at her, swipes his thumbs across her cheeks to wipe the tears away and quickly pecks her lips, his eyes full of adoration.

She hears Henry clearing his throat and when she looks at him, he's looking at her with his own eyes full of tears. He's always been a sensitive child, and Regina feels a lump in her throat again as she waves her hand at him to come closer.

When he does, she pulls him into a hug, chuckling quietly over her tears when his cool wet hair touches her warm cheeks.

"I think we're done with water for the day," Robin states and everyone hums in response. "And we all deserved a treat. How about we go straight to the main street to buy ice creams and milkshakes?"

"Ice creams _and_ milkshakes?" Roland asks, his drying eyes turning wide from excitement again.

"Ice cream and milkshakes," Robin assures him, and Roland claps his hands, a smile spreading across his tired face.

They get changed, collect their things and make their way straight to the main street, and only half an hour later the accident is long forgotten when the four of them sit down on the bench in front of the blue bridge with red railing to eat their ice creams and fall in love with the sea again.


End file.
